Amaka Osakwe

Amaka Osakwe (born 1987) is a Nigerian fashion designer and creator of the African based fashion label named Maki Oh. She leads her womanswear label since 2010 from Lagos, one of the few Nigerian-based brands that are globally acknowledged.[1][2]

Life and career

Osakwe studied at the Arts University Bournemouth where she received a BA in fashion studies. In autumn/winter 2010 she launched her label. Inspired by rural Ghana’s Dipo rites-of-passage ceremony, during which girls taking part are partially naked and ornately adorned, Osakwe has played with cloaking and ornamentation using traditional African fabrics.[3] Recently her label was discovered by the U.S. fashion scene in 2012, when she presented her designs at the New York Fashion Week.[4] She relates the legacy of their country with one, if they dyed their brands by hand with indigo leaves and painted the pattern with a paste made from cassava. Adire is the traditional method.

International stars such as singers Beyoncé and Rihanna or Hollywood actress Kerry Washington have discovered the Nigerian designer outfits for themselves. U.S. First Lady, Michelle Obama, well-known being a style icon, wore during summer 2013 trip to South Africa a blouse of Nigerian designer Maki Oh.[5][6] Her designs also have been worn by the likes of Solange Knowles and Leelee Sobieski and by Nigerian TV presenter Eku Edewor.

One signature of her brand is that it's dyed by hand using the traditional textile arte process Adire. Another is her way of combining Western silhouettes and native materials and motifs—to wit, a lace-blouse-and-pencil-skirt set appliquéd with unsettling raffia eyeballs.[7]

She was named Designer of the Year by African fashion magazine ARISE.

References

  1. ↑ "Focus On // Maki Oh By Amaka Osakwe «". Mariankihogo.com. 2011-12-24. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  2. ↑ Maya Singer (2012-10-09). "Maki Oh Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Runway Review". Style.com. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  3. ↑ Helen Jennings (2011-03-08). "Hot out here". Ariselive.com. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  4. ↑ "New York Fashion Week: Interview with Maki Oh". The Fader. 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  5. ↑ "Michelle Obama Wears Maki Oh". The Fader. 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  6. ↑ "First Lady of U.S.A. Michelle Obama spotted in Maki Oh at the "Connecting Continents" Seminar in South Africa | Photos & Video from the Event". Bella Naija. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  7. ↑ "Maki Oh Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Complete Collection". Style.com. Retrieved 2013-09-15.

External links

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